Five Things on Your Desk That Can Make You Look Unprofessional

If one of your goals for 2019 is to get a promotion, you could be hurting your chances without even realizing it. Here are five things from The Ladders you might have on your desk right now, that could be making you look unprofessional . . .

Dishes and food containers. Bringing your lunch to work is one thing. But having a week's collection of used coffee mugs is rude to your coworkers and could suggest a lack of time management skills.

A swarm of papers or sticky notes. According to a recent survey of senior managers, having a messy or disorganized workspace was the "most distracting or annoying" thing about employee work areas.

Anything political. Even if you don't openly talk politics at work, simply keeping political stuff on your desk or computer screen runs the risk of making you look inappropriate in the office.

Toys. It really depends on the vibe at your office, but keeping a bunch of toys on your desk can make you seem immature and less professional.

Out-of-season decorations. If you've still got some Christmas decorations up in your cubicle, it's time to take 'em down. Otherwise, you might look lazy or forgetful.